Puget Systems Linux Offerings

The great thing about being a custom systems builder is that we're not locked in to any single configuration. If you are looking to have an OS installed that we don't list on our configure pages, we have great news -- we're happy to work with you! This page details our most common requests, and what we are able to provide.

While our alternate OS options are not limited to Linux, we recognise that Linux is likely what will be most often requested. Therefore, we list here our favorite flavors. The benefit of using one of these is that we already have installation sources on hand, leading to a faster time to shipping. Other flavors are certainly welcome!

Preferred Linux Distributions

Ubuntu

Ubuntu Linux is getting a lot of attention for the approach they are taking -- leveraging community support, and combining it with paid professional support options, to provide the most user-friendly Linux experience possible. Ubuntu, by default, uses the Unity desktop environment.

Linux Mint

Linux Mint is based on Debian and Ubuntu and strives to be a "modern, elegant and comfortable operating system which is both powerful and easy to use." Linux Mint provides good out-of-the-box multimedia support by including some proprietary software and comes bundled with a variety of free and open-source applications. It tends to be one of the more user friendly distributions, and most likely the most comfortable for those moving from Windows and new to Linux.

CentOS

CentOS (abbreviated from Community Enterprise Operating System) is a Linux distribution that attempts to provide a free, enterprise-class, community-supported computing platform which aims to be functionally compatible with its upstream source, Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL). It is very popular for scientific computing and servers.

Other Windows Options

Windows XP

Some applications still require Windows XP, and as custom PC builders, we are flexible to accommodate those situations. Hardware compatibility must be carefully considered, so work closely with your Puget Systems representative regarding your Windows XP needs.

Support / Guarantees

While Linux is growing in popularity every day, Microsoft Windows is still used on the vast majority of computers, and many manufacturers do not provide drivers or support for their products under Linux. For that reason, Puget cannot make any guarantees about the functionality of specific components or features when running Linux. Further, our willingness to provide Linux should in no way be interpreted as a guarantee of that functionality. Since we are offering to install the OS for you at no profit, we do not provide tech support for the Linux OS, though you can find support from the Linux community.